FEBRUARY 1943
STATION CIRCULAR 146
Home-made Electric
Brooders
F. E. PRICE
DALE E KIRK
H. E. COSBY
Oregon State System of Higher Education
Agricultural Experiment Station
Oregon State College
Corvallis
FOREWORD
The restrictions on the supply of materials for civilian use
caused by the demand for increased production of war materials
have created many equipment problems for farmers. The Oregon
Agricultural Experiment Station has adjusted its research program
in an attempt to solve these problems by new designs that will permit
the use of noncritical materials in order to assist producers to increase the food production of our country.
Poultrymen are confronted with the problem of obtaining new
electric brooders. Electric heating elements and galvanized sheet
metal for hovers are no longer available for the manufacture of this
equipment for poultry farms.
This circular presents plans and instructions so that poultrymen,
high school vocational agriculture students, and local shops can
build electric brooders from materials that can still be purchased
from local dealers. Instructions for proper operation of the brooders
and care of the chicks are also included.
Dean and Director
Home-made Electric Brooders
F. E. PRICE, Agricultural Engineer
DALE E. KIRK, Research Assistant, Agricultural Engineering
H. E. COSBY, Poultry Husbandman
INTRODUCTION
restrictions on use of critical materials have so limited the supply of
THE
electric brooders that a strong demand has arisen from poultry producers
for plans of an inexpensive, practical, electric brooder that can be made from
materials that can now be purchased from local dealers.
This circular presents construction plans and instructions for operation and
management of three types of homemade electric brooders that have been
tested by the Poultry and Agricultural Engineering departments of the Experiment Station. All these brooders use flat-top wood hovers, the material for
which should be available in all parts of Oregon. Each of the three brooders
has a different type of heating element.
One plan is for a small brooder for 50 chicks or less that uses electric
lamps as a source of heat with or without a thermostat. This type of heating
for small brooders has been used successfully by a number of states. Another
plan explains fully the use of iron stovepipe wire as a heating element with a
thermostat to control the heat. This brooder is planned for 200 chicks until
8 weeks old. A third type is a 300-chick brooder designed for use with a
ready-made kit consisting of a forced ventilation and electric heating unit with
thermostat to be installed in a homemade hover. While this type of heating
equipment is very limited in quantity, these plans were drawn up to supply
information in answer to many requests for such equipment.
BROODER CONSTRUCTION
Brooder for 50 chicks or less. The brooder shown in Figure 1 has a
2' x 2' plywood top framed by 1 x 8 boards and uses ordinary lamp bulbs for
the heating element. The 1 x 8's are nailed together so that the width of the
board is the vertical dimension. Inside of this frame 1" x 2" cleats are nailed
to form a support for the 2' x 2' sheet of plywood. The 1" x 2" cleats should
be placed so that the top edge is 5 inches above the bottom of the frame. The
plywood can then be dropped inside the frame from the top where it will rest on
the cleats and can be held in place by light nailing. Legs should be placed on the
four corners of the frame and should extend 3 inches below the frame of the
hover to place the brooder at the proper height to start the brooding season.
As brooding progresses, it will be necessary to raise the hover each week as the
chicks grow. This can be done by one of the following methods:
Block up the legs to the desired height.
Install adjustable legs as shown in Figure 2.
Attach ropes to the four corners of the brooder that converge at one
point over the brooder where they are attached to a single rope with
pulley and counterweight.
desired height.
In this manner the brooder can be set at any
X 2 SHEET OF 1/4" PLY-'
1X2- 1
LONG
IXB-2 3/4" LONG
1X2-11l 1/4" LONG
Figure 1. The SQ-chick electric brooder hover.
A
jrI1
.1
4
0
N
V
SECTION A-A
A
Figure 2. Section view of leg and hover construction when slotted legs are to be used for
adjusting the height of the 50. and 200.chick brooders.
P5
HOME-MADE ELECTRIC BROODERS
In order to conserve heat, it is always desirable to provide insulation to prevent heat losses through the hover. In this brooder it is done by filling the top
of the hover with straw or whatever litter is being used on the brooder floor.
This will provide about 2 inches of good insulation on top of the hover and
will also serve to keep the top clean. This litter can be changed from time to
time as desired.
Ordinarily an electric brooder is equipped with a thermostat for automatic
heat control. Since the shortage of critical materials may make it impossible
to buy a thermostat, plans are shown for wiring this brooder with and without
WAFER TYPE ThERMOSTAT
WITH SNAP AC11ON SWITCH
1X8 SIDE
1X2 LEG
X2 CLEAT
cL
Gil
II
011
6"
LI
Figure 3.
Underside of the 50-chick hover showing wiring layout with thermostat when
lamps are used as heating elements.
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AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STArrON CIRCULAR 146
automatic heat control. Figure 3 shows the location of the lamp receptacles
and the necessary wiring when a thermostat is used. The inner receptacle holds
the attraction light, which is on continuously. The four outer lights are controlled by the thermostat and go on and off as required to maintain the necessary heat under the hover. Fifty-watt lamps in all five receptacles should provide sufficient heat under ordinary conditions.
If this Size brooder is to be constructed without a thermostat, Figure 4
indicates the location of the lamp receptacles and the method of wiring. The
total output of heat may be varied by the use of different sizes of lamps, or
by partly unscrewing some of the lamps as required.
1X8 BRO'ODER SIDE
1X2 CLEAT
PORCLEAN RECEPTACLES
1X2 LEG
-*
,OI
I
N-
0
Figure 4.
Underside of the 50-chick hover showing wiring layout without thermostat when
lamps are used as heating elements.
The 200-chick homemade electric brooder. The brooder illustrated in
Figures 5 and 6 has been developed in answer to the wartime need for a plan
that would provide for the construction of a poultry brooder with a minimum
amount of critical materials and still meet the necessary requirements of a
brooder from the standpoint of the poultrymen.
7
HOME-MADE ELECTRIC BROODERS
The hover for this brooder is shown in Figure 5 and is built with an outer
frame of 1 x 8's with a quarter inch plywood top in the same way that the
50-chick brooder is constructed with two exceptions: First, a 1 x 4 board
should be placed on edge ac ross the middle of the hover just above the plywood
to help prevent warpage. The plywood should be nailed to this 1 x 4 cross
piece from the underside. Secondly, the top of the 1 x 2 cleats nailed to the
inside of the frame should be only 3 inches above the bottom of the 1 x 8's
1X8-4 3/4' LONG
X44 LONG--,
1X2
I' LONG
1X84 3/4 LONG
4X4' SHEET OF /4'
X23' II
Figure 5.
'4' LONG
The 200-chick electric brooder hover.
instead of the 5 inches recommended for the 50-chick brooder. This provides
greater space in the top of the hover for insulation and still leaves sufficient
clearance on the underside of the plywood because of the dilterent type of
heating clement used. This brooder is designed for operation without a curtain
and was found quite satisfactory in tests at the College in 1942. A thermometer
can be passed through a hole cut in the hover and suspended from the cap used
to cover the hole. At the beginning of the brooding period the thermometer
should be located 21 inches above the litter floor.
Electric heating element and temperature control. Nichrome wire
is ordinarily used for heating elements in brooders but is difficult or impossible
to obtain for this purpose during the war. It has been found by experimental
tests that 163 feet of iron stovepipe wire when installed as shown in Figure 6
makes a very satisfactory substitute electric heating element in connection with
brooding. This wire is fastened directly against the underside of the plywood
hover by single-pointed carpet tacks along the two edges of the hover, and with
three rows of double-pointed tacks in the middle area.
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AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION CIRCULAR 146
When selecting the wire be certain it is of the proper size by checking it in
at least one of the following ways:
Have it measured with a micrometer.
diameter.
It should be 0,0348 inch in
Check it on a Washburn & Moen Wire Gauge. It should be size No. 20.
Check it on an American Standard (Brown and Sharpe) wire gauge.
It should be smaller than No. 20 and larger than No. 19.
In case of doubt as to whether the wire is of the proper size, send it to the
Agricultural Engineering Department at Oregon State College and it
will be checked and promptly returned free of charge.
The arrangement and spacing for installing exactly 163 feet must be followed as shown in Figure 6. The three middle rows of double-pointed tacks
are very necessary in order to keep the wire from sagging below the hover.
This is particularly important because of the expansion of the wire when the
electricity is turned on and it begins to operate as a heating element. The 163
L
4
-
_Pv
Figure 6. Underside of the 200.chick electric brooder showing proper wiring installation to
use 163 feet of iron stovepipe wire as a heating element. Note that the stovepipe wire
is tacked and stapled against the wood hover.
9
HOME-MADE ELECTRIC BROODERS
feet of iron stovepipe wire will make a 9(10-watt heating element on 120 volts,
which is adequate for this size of brooder. The wire operates at sufficiently
low temperature so that it will not in any way cause a fire hazard by being in
contact with the plywood hover. It is imperative, however, that the wire be
of the type, size, and length specified to operate with safety.
To prevent rusting of the element when not in use, the iron wire should
be protected by a thin film of oil. This can be easily applied with a paint
brush without removing the wire from the hover. Rusty wire should never be
used as a heating element. The wire should be inspected at the beginning of
each brooding season and if found to be rusting it should be replaced with a
new wire of the same type, length, and size.
The electric service is brought into one corner of the brooder through the
top or the side, depending upon the most convenient arrangement for the thermostat used. The porcelain receptacle shown in Figure 6 is for the installation
of an attraction light and must be so wired that it is on at all times. As the
brooding season progresses the operator may turn this light off by unscrewing
the bulb, if he so desires. Poultrymen who have operated electric brooders that
are equipped with a pilot light that signals the on and off position of the
thermostat may wonder why none is provided for this brooder. It is unnecessary in this brooder because the wire used for the heating element makes a
sufficiently loud humming noise to indicate easily to the operator the on and off
position of the thermostat.
The only specialized piece of poultry brooder equipment required in this
plan is the thermostat. Fortunately most poultry equipment supply houses are
now standardizing on a snap-action thermostat that is operated by an ether
wafer and is very much superior to the old type of slow breaking thermostats
that were common on all of the earlier makes of electric brooders.
Homemade hover for fan-type electric brooder, 300-chick capacity.
Dtiring the last few years the fan-type forced ventilation electric brooder has
become quite popular throughout the Pacific Northwest area. These brooders
include a very small electric fan that draws fresh air in through the center and
top of the hover and discharges it downward against a baffle, which deflects the
air horizontally in all directions under the hover. As the air leaves the fan it
passes across an electric heating element and this warm air then moves to all
ADJUSTMENT SCREW AND AIR INTAKE
I X 12, 5 LONG
I.
2 LAYERS OF I4' PLY
WITH INSULATION
BETWEEN
LOOSE PIN HINGES FOR
EASY REMOVAL OF
WINGS FOR STORAGE
1X4, B' LONG
1X4,
1'
II I/4LONG
2X2 LEGS 10' LONG
CANVAS CLTAIN
IXI2, I0LONG
1X2 AIR SEAl.
Figure 7. The 300-chick forced ventilation electric brooder with hLnged wings extended to
show method of construction. This brooder requires a special electric kLt including a
fan, heating unit, and thermostat.
10
AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATiON CIRCULAR 146
parts of the brooder and is discharged under the curtain surrounding the hover.
Some manufacturers have offered the electric fan, heating element, and thermostat in a compact, completely assembled unit, which could be mounted in a
homemade hover. While the supply of these fans will undoubtedly be very
limited for the duration of the war, the following plans are offered for those
who are interested in this type of brooder and may be in a position to obtain
the necessary fan, heating unit, and thermostat assembly for a homemade hover.
A hover of the type shown for the 200-chick brooder, Figure 5, could be
used with a forced ventilation kit by moving the 1 x 4 that is installed on the
top of the plywood so as to permit the installation of the ventilator and fan in
the center of the hover. If this type of hover is used as a force ventilated
brooder a curtain must be used.
The plans presented in Figure 7 show a method of building a homemade
5' x 5' hover for a force ventilated brooder in which the center section is stationary and the two side sections are hinged so that each can be easily raised
for inspection of the chicks under the hover. The center section is made of a
1 x 12 with the top piece 5 feet long, supported by two end pieces 10 inches in
length. The intake for the fan is usually a round pipe about 2f or 3 inches in
diameter that would require a hole of the same size through the center of the
1 x 12 board.
To the center section are hinged the two side wings. The wings are
usually made of two layers of f-inch plywood with corrugated cardboard or
f-inch insulation board between for insulation. The plywood is supported on
three sides by a 1 x 4 frame. The 2 x 2 legs and canvas curtaincomplete the
hover.
MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION
Improper heat, brooding more chicks than either the brooder or brooder
room will accommodate, soil contamination, and faulty nutrition are the most
common hazards to guard against in brooding chicks.
Temperatures. The empty brooder should be regulated to a temperature
of 92° to 95° Fahrenheit at a height of about 2f inches above the floor litter
level before the chicks are put under the brooder. The thermometer may be
placed on a block 2f inches above the floor or may be suspended from the hover
to the proper height above the floor. To keep the chicks from wandering away
from the brooder until they have learned where to go for heat and how to eat
and drink, an enclosure wall made of cardboard, fine-mesh wire, or hinged
boards should be set up around and a few inches from the brooder.
As brooding age advances, the temperature under the brooder should be
gradually reduced. The operator soon learns from observing the chicks
whether or not they are comfortable. Too much heat will drive them out from
under the brooder while too little heat will cause them to crowd the center of
the brooder.
Brooding capacity. If all the day old or started chicks placed under the
brooder are to use the brooder as long as artificial heat is needed, allow at least
12 to 14 square inches of heated area under the brooder for each chick.
Brooder room capacity. If all the chicks brooded are to remain in the
brooder house with or without access to a small natural yard or artificial porch
for a period of 8 weeks, 1 square foot of floor space should be allowed per
HOME-MADE ELECTRIC BROODERS
bird.
11
The number of chicks to be purchased should be determined by which-
ever has the least capacity, the brooder or the room in which it is to be
operated.
Soil contamination. When chicks are brooded year after year on the
same limited ground area the soil becomes infested with filth, parasite eggs,
and disease organisms. Under contaminated conditions many poultry enterprises are short lived. Unless brooding equipment can be moved to clean soil,
it is well to consider the use of an artificial yard. The most common type used
in Oregon is the wire porch, the floors of which are made of 1-inch mesh number 18 gauge wire.
Nutrition. The chick develops rapidly and failure to provide it with the
proper nutrients cannot be corrected later in its life. Many of the ingredients
normally used in poultry feeds are not generally available. It will probably be
much safer to purchase prepared mashes and grain feeds from reputable feed
agencies than to attempt home mixing of feeds under present conditions.
References.
More complete information on chick brooding, brooder
houses, feeding, and management may be obtained from the following bulletins
available from the office of the county agricultural agent or the Poultry Department of Oregon State College:
Extension Bulletin 511, O.S.C. Brooder Houses.
Extension Bulletin 549, Chick Brooding and Rearing.